Network Planning Task Force (NPTF)

Funding Model Principles

• Many Penn investments and operations are dependent upon the viability, accessibility and security of the network. ISC maintains close alignment with University academic, research and business strategies.
• Customers and ISC work as partners when making decisions, insuring flexibility to accommodate business needs and changing technologies. Using a continuous process improvement approach, we seek maximum cost-effectiveness and a high degree of customer satisfaction.
• Customers and ISC are proactive in identifying strategic directions and emerging technologies and encourage the retirement of obsolete services and systems to insure that we have the capacity to make investments for the future to remain competitive with our peers and industry.
• The costs are transparent for data, voice and video services and their associated components, showing a 5-year view of budgets and assumptions. Aggregate service rate increases are targeted at 0-3% maximum yearly, determined in conjunction with the NPTF.
• The funding model encourages excellence and right kinds of behavior from both a customer and ISC perspective and is measurable in terms that are meaningful to the customer.
• All operating expenses (business continuity, planning, support, security) are included in the model.
• The model is demand-based.
• The model remains simple in order to minimize overhead costs and to allow for easy budgeting and discussion.